Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1887-06-03
THE ORGAN WINS.
u. P. and Other Church Assem- =
blyS.

PHILADELPHIA, May 26.-The
capacious though plain church edifce
of the Second United Presbyterian
Church, Race street, above fifteenth,
was handsomely decorated with flow
ers this morning for the first business
of the Twenty ninth General Assem-
bly, OF the United Presbyterian
Church of North America. The first
General Assembly was held in
Xenia, Ohio, in l849, and it has met
five times in Philadelphia, the last
time in 1876 The body is the high.
est judicial court in the church. The
statistics of the General Assembly
show:
Synods, 10; Presbyteries, 60; min
listers, 746; students in theology. 55;
ruling elders. 3.515; congregations,
8S5; mission stations, l44; total men,
bers, 96, Gal; Sabbath school scholars,
83,617; total contributions during the
year, S977,S6O.
The meeting this N rning was
opened by Moderator J. F. Brown
lee calling upon Rev. George G. Vim
cent, of Brookville, Pa, for prayer.
VICTORY FOR THE ORGAN.
The election of the new Moderator
followed, and the time honored con-
test between those in favor of intro
ducing musical instruments in the
churches and those opposed was re-
vived. Rev Robert A Brown, D.
D, of New Castle, Pa, nominated as
the anti-instrumental candidate, Rev.
J. G. Carson, of Xenia, O.. and Rev.
DR.. J. B. McMichael of Monmouth,
ILL.,, presented Rev. Matthew McCor-
mick Gibson, of San Francisco, Cal,
as an earnest advocate of the or
gan.
The result was a decisive victory
for the organ, who received 1873 votes
to SO for his opponent. Retiring
Moderator Brownlee requested Rev.
DR.. McMichael and Rev. VIM. Fl.
McWilliams, D. D., to escort his sue
cessor to the platform. Rev. DIR.
Gibson thanked the Assembly briefly.
| I1c StdIcu Iudt uS uC w oS ouAiouo w
make up the standing committees, he
would call upon his rival, DR.. Carson,
to preside in his absence.
The work of the United Presbyte-
rian Church being largely conducted
by several boards appointed by the
Assembly, the reports of the boards
were then called for, and the entire
day was spent in routine work of this
nature The Board of Church Ex-
tension, through it's secretary, Rev.
A. G.. Wallace, reported they had es-
tablished number of missions in va
rious portions of the country, and
that the receipts during the year were
$25, ,659 So, which, with the balance
of last year, So, ,O8l 81, made total
of $28,740.34. The expenditures
were $26, ,307 80, leaving balance OF
$2,433 O4. The report of the Board
of Freedmen's Missions showed an
aggregate Sunday school enrolment
of 1000. There are 68 colored
teachers in public schools, with to-
tai enrolment of 10000. The
Board of Foreign Missions. through
its chairman, Rev. DR.. W. w. Barr,
and secretary DR.. J. B. Dales, report
ed the receipts for 1887 were 1884,
343 so. DR.. J. B. Dales, of the
Board of Ministerial Relief, reported
the total endowment to be $6l. $50,
with balance in the treasury on
April 20 of $2.S79.
THE BURNING QUESTION.
An appeal and protest from the
Synod of Iowa was presented by j.
J, Tat, and others, appealing from
the decision of the Iowa Synod in re-
fusing to sustain an appeal from an
action of the Presbytery of Keokuk,
refusing to direct the session of the
congregation to cause to be removed
the organ from it's usurped place in
the worship of God in the congrega-
tion, and also refusing to enjoin upon
sessions under its care the use OF mu-
sical instruments in the worship of
God, whether in the congregation, the
Sabbath school or the family, where
ever and by whom soeyer attempted
by any under their care until author
ized by proper authorities. The Ju-
dicial Committee will have this ques-
tion to consider.
The rest of the day was spent in
making up the lists of standing COM
mittees There was Sunday school
conference this evening Rev. j. B.
Lee, ID. D., and elder Il. j Gillespie
read papers on "How can sessions
make the oversight over Sunday
schools more elficient?" Rev. JIG A.
Mcdowell and w Il. Campbell dis
cussed "How to make the Sabbath
schools more efficient" "The advis-
ability of special objects for Sabbath
school contributions" was considered
by Elder John NJ Wallace. "Praise
in the Sabbath school" was topic
which Rev. j. ID. Carson and M. II.
McKirdlean discussed.
A PLEA FOR REFORM.
Among the reports submitted to-
day was one by the Committee on
Permanent Reform 1t set forth in
substance that all true reform must
be based on Christianity. and warned
the members of the church against
the anti hrists, among which were
mentioned Mormonism, Romanlsm,
Inebrietism, Socialism and u number
OF minor isms. 1t recommended that
each minister preach a sermon on
THE Signs of the Times" at least
once u year. The report further
saya:
There are many fools in the land
who say mo God, no Bible, no Sab
bath, no church. mo prayer. no wor-
ship. Away with all Sabbath laws
and restraints, and let the first day of
the week be devoted to the goodness
of pleasure, to travel, recreation and
amusement, to theatrical entertain
ments and beer drinking, tax the
churches, take the Bible out Of the
public schools and give the children
Of our country merely intellect
ual training. abolish all chaplaincies
and religious oaths and run the entire
Government upon purely-or impure
ly-secular principles Lawless-
| ness nreyails The most horrible